Songs of Resistance and Celebration Road Trip Playlist

These musicians are speaking their truth and sharing their vision through sound. Whether its Hip-hop, Electro, R&B, Punk, or Poetry, this playlist will get you wherever you’re going…maybe you’re traveling to visit relatives, studying, working out or washing dishes: here’s a MUSKRAT compiled list of incredible Indigenous musicians.

Ziibiwan is an emerging Anishinaabe, electronic artist/producer from Toronto, Ontario. Ziibiwan explores many different genres with his work but pulls most inspiration from contemporary R&B and alternative artists such as Radiohead and Björk. He is a Banff Centre for Arts alumni with Re(Claim), an Indigenous collective. His ethereal, sonic landscape opens into deeply hypnotic spaces where land, sky, and deep sea meet.

Desirae Harp is a member of the Ona*staTis (Miwhsewal Wappo) Nation and a descendant of the Navajo Nation. She is a poet, college student, and community activist who grew up in Santa Rosa, California. She has shared the stage with acclaimed poets such as John Trudell, Jimmy Santiago Baca, and Lorna Dee Cervantes.

Frank Waln is Sicangu Lakota and praised hip hop artist, producer, and performer from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. He has been featured on Buzzfeed, USA Today, ESPN, and MTV’s Rebel Music Native America and brings a message of hope and inspiration through his performances and workshops that encourage people to follow their dreams.

Kinnie Starr is a MC, singer, poet, actress, beatnik, musicmaker. Born in Calgary and raised on heavy doses of Zeppelin, Sade and De La Soul, Kinnie Starr discovered she could kick it live one night in NYC (1993), when an open mic called, and the crowd carried her through three blazing encores (“edgy… enchanting,” said the New Yorker). Follow Kinnie Starr on Twitter here.

Tru Rez Crew released their first LP in 2000 and took credibility on and off stage landing many TV spots, and numerous air play..The hip hop group earned two Aboriginal Awards for best song/single and best hip hop album. What makes Tru Rez a unique group of musicians is that they can enhance the production, by not only using keyboards and samples, they can also pick up instruments and employ them into Hip Hop fashion so the twist is versatile.

9. Life is What you Make it by ELISAPIE

Inuk folk-pop singer and songwriter, ELISAPIE continues a tradition of music making. A few listens in and you will start to realize that Isaac has a deep respect for both the profound and the party. Follow ELISAPIE on Twitter

10. Nizhwaaswi by WHOOP-Szo

This Ojibwe punk band is based in Guelph and London regions of Ontario. Follow their experiential sounds on SoundcloudTwitter and Bandcamp!

Native hip hop group based in Vancouver, BC. The Duo, Heebz The Earthchild and Craigy Craig grew up in Northern BC. Years of exploring art, music, theater and design amongst various other creative mediums, these talented individuals have created Mob Bounce. Crafting their cultural and spiritual influences from their varied backgrounds, Mob Bounce is a new voice with sound towards the empowerment of their generation.

As a member of the “Apsaalooke Nation”, Supaman makes his home on the Crow reservation in Montana. Supaman is a dancer and hip hop artist who has dedicated his life to empowering youth and educating listeners with a message of hope through culture and music. Supaman has earned the MTV Artist of the Week. Alongside rapping, he also tours schools, educating students about North American Indigenous history and culture.

Thomas X is Ojibway from Red Lake Nation and recently released the first single, Standing Rock, from his EP, Welcome to the Rez. Follow @chiefthomasx on Twitter.

15. Suplex by A Tribe Called Red

A Tribe Called Red released their new album We Are Halluci Nation earlier this year. Stream it for free on rpm.fm here.

Follow A Tribe Called Red on Soundcloud!

16. Wounded Knee Pt. 3 by Que Rock

Q Rock or Que Rock is an Anishinaabe rapper, b-boy and graffiti artist from Nipissing First Nation currently based in Toronto. A member of the Mighty Zulu Kingz, DDT (Dirty Defiant Tribe), and Ready to Rock, Que Rock has earned recognition as a B-Boy and through the years has honed his craft in all four of the core elements of hip hop. Follow Que Rock on Facebook and @qrockrtr on Twitter

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About The Author

MUSKRAT is an on-line Indigenous arts, culture magazine that honours the connection between humans and our traditional ecological knowledge by exhibiting original works and critical commentary. MUSKRAT embraces both rural and urban settings and uses media arts, the Internet, and wireless technology to investigate and disseminate traditional knowledges in ways that inspire their reclamation.

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MUSKRAT is an on-line Indigenous arts, culture, and living magazine that honours the connection between humans and our traditional ecological knowledge by exhibiting original works and critical commentary.